LONDON – If there were any doubts about Ronaldo’s abilities to raise his game to a world-class level, they were erased in the just-ended Copa America tournament.
First, he scored five goals in the tourney, to share leading individual honors with Rivaldo.
And second, Ronaldo’s final goal was as glorious a play as any you will see anywhere.
His phenomenal strike iced a 3-0 victory for Brazil over Uruguay in Ascuncion in the tournament final on Sunday.
The victory finally washed away the specter of Brazil’s horror show in last year’s World Cup Final, and only a few stubborn Frenchmen will argue with the suggestion that this is the finest team on the planet right now.
A huge underdog, Uruguay scraped through to this Final on the back of a pair of penalty shootout wins. Its luck had to run out some time, and midway through the first half Rivaldo, a sensation in this match and throughout the tournament, flicked in a cool header from Flavio Conceicao’s masterful curling free kick.
Uruguay was still reeling when Brazil doubled its lead, and again Rivaldo was the scorer, collecting a cross from Ze Roberto, then cueing himself up for a lovely, delicately dipping lob over the goalie Fabian Carini.
Near the end of the first half, Uruguay almost got on the board, but Martin de Campo’s blast hit the crossbar. That was as close as it got all game for the young and inexperienced Uruguayan team.
For early in the second half Ronaldo killed ’em off with a goal of sublime beauty. Set up by Rivaldo, he let the ball drop over his right shoulder and, without breaking stride, cued himself up for a ferocious left-foot swerving shot that he sent curling into the opposite corner of the net.
It was a breathtaking moment of improvisation, and it effectively ended the contest because nothing that followed could possibly have overshadowed it. This is a goal destined for endless replays.
Uruguay did see a little more of the ball thereafter as Brazil was able to sit back and say “score on us if you can.”
The Uruguayans could not, and the Brazilians joyfully took the trophy for only the sixth time, their record in the tournament of 17 goals scored and only two given up in six games the best by far in both departments.
Wanderley Luxemburgo, who had to pick up the pieces after last year’s failure, has assembled a powerful unit, retaining only four players from the ’98 model and stubbornly resisting suggestions that he recall veterans such as Romario.
He revamped the midfield completely and introduced new goalie Dida, who was outstanding in every match.
Luxemburgo puts his success down to a simple philosophy.
“There are four key words,” he said. “Unity, discipline, work and professionalism.
“This is the first phase of our project to prepare for the Olympics and the 2002 World Cup. We’re happy with the win, but our minds are on the World Cup.”
That means: Watch out, world, Brazil is back. *
MEXICO edged Chile 2-1 in the match between the losing semifinalists, its second third-place finish in successive Copa America tournaments.
With the score standing at 1-1 and three minutes left on the clock, a penalty shootout looked the inevitable conclusion – but then the influential Tarzan lookalike Luis Hernandez set up Miguel Zepeda for the killer goal.
Mexico’s success came largely against the odds, as it had to do without two members of its original squad, Raul Lara and Paulo Chavez, who were suspended for six months after turning in positive anabolic-steroid tests.
“I’m extremely satisfied with what we did,” said Mexico coach Miguel Lapuente. “We don’t want to look for any excuse. The problems we had, we had.
“Ever since the time of the Aztecs and the Mayans we have had this consistency, this strength,” he added. “Mexico now wants to cease being a guest at Copa America and win a permanent invitation.” *HRISTO Stoichkov, co-leading scorer at USA ’94 and the greatest player in Bulgaria’s soccer history, is to run for the post of Minister of Sport.
Already deputy mayor of his hometown of Plovdiv, Stoichkov has just retired as a player, winding up his career with Kashiwa Reysol in Japan.
